Five killed in Missouri tornado as storms threaten more destruction

A tornado in Missouri killed at least five people Wednesday morning as storms across the Midwest and South caused widespread destruction Tuesday and early Wednesday.

The five deaths were reported in Bollinger County, 50 miles south of St. Louis, where a tornado touched down around 3:30 a.m.

“Throughout the early morning and continuing now, efforts for search and rescue are underway,” said Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham in a Wednesday morning Facebook post, adding that names would be withheld until their families were notified. 

Tornadoes on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday were reported from Arkansas to Delaware. 

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center said that up to 40 million people could be affected by ongoing severe weather Wednesday afternoon. The continued storms could mean more tornadoes and damaging winds for the region, especially in parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

These areas could see winds of up to 70 miles per hour and hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter, NOAA predicted.

Many of the areas under warnings on Tuesday and Wednesday were the same that were hit hard by tornadoes and severe weather last week. 

Storms over the last two weeks, mainly in the South and Midwest, have killed at least 63 people, according to The Associated Press. 

President Biden declared major disaster areas in the aftermath to provide federal aid to several states.